Correcting errors and misinformation in handout

Thank-you Council
cleaned up harbour: formerly raw sewage in harbour
cleaning up the water: health risk being eliminated
heavy financial pressures: responded to meet these challengesHelped define Mahone Bay as a clean, eco-friendly town

Correcting errors and misinformation presented in handout as â€œFactsâ€
some alarmist statements creating climate of fear
1) from â€œfact sheet”: â€œin the past 11yrs we have reduced our population by 27.5%â€
Stats Canada data for Mahone Bay shows
1996 1,017
2006 904
decline of 113 which is 11.1%, not 27.5%
source: http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/statistics/agency/publications/Cen2006.pdf
This must be seen in a regional context: of 31 towns in NS, 26 are in decline
This is not a problem just for Mahone Bay but a regional problem
2) from â€œfact sheet”:â€œhighest per capita residential tax assessment in Lunenburg Countyâ€
tax assessments not based on population
to say my per capita assessment has doubled since the children left home is meaningless
3) from â€œfact sheet”: â€œWe are 29th of 31 towns in average cost of housingâ€
MB has many expensive homes and waterfront property which boost the average
high prices in that sector doesnâ€™t affect ordinary property owners
many homes in MB assessed at under $120,000

Financial solutions to consider ( ïƒ¼ indicates currently being done by Council)